Totalizator counter



Oct. 19, 1948. c. F. WEBB 2,451,525

Tonmzmon COUNTER Filed April 1:5, 194s 2 sheets-sheet 1 I n uentor /L Xd? Q v Aitor eys Oct. 19, 1948. c. F. WEBB 2,451,525

TOTALIZATOR COUNTER Filed April 13, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l la l i 7/ 3 7.2 o O e5 E 2?/ 0 0| i Inventor r/'Slofv/(er Frederick Webb L* v Altern ys Patente Get. 19, 1948 STATES ATENT OFFICE TGTALIZATOR COUNTER Application April 13, 1943, 'Serial No. 482,888 VI-nGreat Britain March 1, 1943 9 Claims.

rihis invention relates to means Yfor 4efiecting additive, totalising and like operations.

The invention is more particularly concerned with arrangements .incorporating one or `more impulse-receiving devices and a counting or registering mechanism suitable for use in totalisator installations and like equipment.

According to the invention there is provided a means for effecting additive, totalising and like operations. comprising one or more impulse-receiving devices, a movable member, switch or stop adapted, upon actuation of an impulse .receiving device or devices, to be displaced and a counting or registering mechanism adapted, when such a displacement occurs, to -be operated ypermissively by an external source of power which also serves to return the movable member, switch or stop to its former position.

More specically, the invention 4consists in means for effecting additive, `totalising :and like operations having one or more impulse-receptive devices comprising electro-magnetic means adapted to eiiect step-by-step displacements of one side of a diiierential mechanism or assemblyr in such a manner that, upon initial movement, a movable member, switch or stop associated with the planetary mounting of the differential is displaced and permissively operable means is brought into operation to return the planetary mounting and the said Vmovable member, switch or stop to their former positions and to actuate, or cause the actuation of, a counting .or registering mechanism.

The permissive operations may be effected by spring means maintained in a state of stress or by power-operated means such as an electric motor. Alternatively, the arrangement may be such that spring means may be employed for the initial process of returning the movable member or stop to its former position and when permissively actuated eiects the displacement of another movable member or switch controlling the poweroperated means which is then operated to `actuate the counting or registering mechanism and to return the movable member or switch to its former position. Also, the power-operated means may, as the movable member or switch `approaches its former position, serve Vto re-load'the spring means ready for re-operation.

According to another feature of the invention, there is provided a means for effecting additive, totalising and like operations having an impulsereceptive device comprising electro-magnetic means which, upon operation, is adapted to eiiect step-by-step displacements of one side 'ofa difierential mechanism or assembly in such amanner that, upon initial movement, ai'mova-ble ,member, switch or stop associated Withfthe :planetary mounting of the differential is displaced `and -a restoring means biasing or urging the companion side of the differential in the opposite ,direction is permitted to operate to return the planetary mounting and the said movable member, .switch or stop to their former positionaandin so doing, to impart, or cause to be imparted, to a cou-nting or registering mechanism associatedwith the companion side of the differential, movements dependent in value upon the number of impulses received.

Usually a number .of impulse-receptive devices is provided and, in order to Yprovide for the collation of a large number vof Vunit movements=or -incoming impulses, received simultaneously pryotherwise from a number of diierent sources, an aggregating mechanism made up ,of :a plurality of dierentialgeartrains,may be provided for amalgamating or producing in a common output shaft a summation of the various permissive movements produced as the result of the operations -of the various impulse-receptive devices. As with such an arrangement impulses received by any of the component impulse-receptive devices will bring about a permissive movement throughout the vWhole of thegeartrain or-aggregating fmechanism, it will be lappreciated that itis unnecessary to provide each impulse-receptive device Ldifferential with a separate restoring vmeans 1but ythat a restoring means common to Tall of the impulsereceiving units may be employed. Accordingly, where a group of impulse-receptive `devices is employed, a restoring means may be applied 4to or associated with the output side oi aggregating mechanism or 'with a member displaceable therewith.

If desired, the counting or -registering'mechanism may loe/arranged so :that it is .not operated directly from the movement imparted, :by the restoring means, tothe companion side `of the impulse-receptive device differential vor v.to vthe output side of the aggregating -mechanism but .so that it is operated permissively by an yexternal source-of power such as lan electric motor which is controlled by switching means "displaceable -With the saidy permissively Vop erable or restoring means. For this purpose, the arrangement :may be such that the restoring means, in addition to `returning the aforesaid stop or stops toits or their former lposition or positions, is-.adapted to .-eiiect the fdisplacement of one..side of :a .further differential mechanism in 4such 4a manner that ,a switchiassociated with the planetary mounting of that differential becomes closed to bring the motor into operation to actuate the counting or registering mechanism until such time as the restoring means has fullled its purpose. Also, the said motor may be adapted to drive the companion side of said further differential mechanism so that when the motor is no longer required to operate the counting mechanism, the switch and the planetary mounting with which it is associated will be automatically returned to their former positions and the motor brought to rest.

According to another feature of the invention means may be provided for increasing or decreasing the speed of operation of the counting or registering mechanism as the rate of reception of impulses increases or decreases.

In order that the said invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into effect, the same will now be more fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which- Fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating the manner in which a-single impulse-receptive device is caused to operate;

Figs. 1A and 1B show details of modications of Fig` l; and

Fig. 2 shows diagrammatically a development of the arrangement shown in Pg. 1 provided according to the invention and incorporating an aggregating mechanism and means whereby the counting mechanism is adapted to be actuated by the permissive operation of ya separate source of power.

In the arrangement shown in Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings, there is provided an impulse-receptive device comprising an electromagnet l having a pivotally mounted armature 2 normally held away from the magnet by -a spring 3. To the free end of the armature is pivotally secured the driving paW1 Il of a ratcheting device or wheel 5, said pawl being urged towards the ratchet wheel by the spring 3 and provided with an offset portion 6 engaging a stop 'l adapted to wedge the pawl into a tooth of the wheel for the purpose of arresting anduaccurately locating the same. The ratoheting wheel is carried by a shaft 8 and is adapted to be displaced angularly in a step-by-step manner and in one direction only, retrograde movement being prevented by suitable means such as a detent 9. The aforesaid shaft 8 is adapted to effect the displacement of an element forming part of a differential gear mechanism or assembly and, for this purpose, it may be mechanically connected with a bevel gear I which forms one side of a differential gear mechanism and with which engages a planetary gear element II 2 capable of bodily movement about the axis of the gear lil. The planetary element also engages with the companion side of the diierential gear mechanism, which companion side may be constituted by another bevel gear i carried by a shaft I3 disposed coaxially with the shaft 8. Associated with and carried by the planetary gear mounting is a Stop or arm I8 having its free end engaging with the teeth of a toothed wheel 2B carried by a shaft 22 which is coupled by gearing, as, for example, by gear wheels 23 and 24, with the shaft I6 to which the companion side of the differential gear mechanism is connected.

Means is provided for urging the shaft 22 in the direction necessary to rotate the companion side of the differential gear mechanism in the direction opposite to that in which the bevel gear le is adapted to be displaced upon actuation of the 4 driving pawl 4 of the ratcheting device or Wheel 5. Such means may be constituted by a spring and, in the form of the invention illustrated, the shaft 22 is spring loaded by connecting the same by gearing 25 with a drum 21 provided internally with a spiraldoading spring 2B.

In addition, the shaft 22 is connected directly or indirectly with a suitable form of counting or registering mechanism 3G. By the above ar rangement, whenever an impulse or a number of impulses is received by the operating magnet of the impulse-receptive device, the ratcheting device will be operated to displace by one step or in a step-by-step manner one side of the differential gear mechanism and by the consequent permissive movement or movements of the companion side of the diierenti-al mechanism, the counting or registering mechanism will be operated so that it repeats or summates the unit movements produced by the operation of the ratcheting device. In this connection, it will be appreciated that, upon initial movement of the bevel pinion IU, the planetary pinion l 2 and its mounting will be displaced so that the stop or arm i8 moves out oi engagement with the toothed wheel 2i) thereby releasing the sli-aft 22 for permissive movement under the influence of the aforesaid biasing means or spring 28. Also, by such permissive movement, the counting or registering mechanism will be actuated and, at the same time, the companion bevel pinion I4 0l the differential mechanism will be displaced in the opposite direc- Vtion to that in which the bevel pinion l0 was displaced until such time as the pinion lil is brought to rest and, by reason of the movements of the pinion lli, the planetary pinion and its mounting become restored to their former positions or nearly so when the stop or arm I8 again moves into engagement with the toothed wheel 2l] to arrest further movement, with the result that with each unit movement of ratchet 5 there is a permissive unit movement in shaft 22.

Suitable means are provided for rotating the shaft 32 so as to maintain the spring 28 in condition for urging the shaft 22 in the desired direction and, in order to smooth out any irregular movement of the shaft 22 under the influence of the spring, a fan or other form of braking or movement-controlling means may be coupled o1' associated with the shaft.

It is often required in some part of an installation in which this apparatus would form a part, for unit movements to record or register something more than unit values, particularly in totalisator installations in which some portion of the impulse generating stations or ticket issuing booths are arranged to issue tickets, and in so doing generate impulses each of some multiple unit value. This requirement can be accommodated by a modification of the toothed wheel 2U and a corresponding variation of the ratio of gears 23 and 24.

In Fig. 1A, the stop wheel 2Q is shown with two teeth in its circumference spaced at degrees, and the effect in this case would be that a release of the stop arm I8 would permit shaft 22 to revolve 180 degrees and thus record 5 unit values on the register.

In Fig. 1B, the stop wheel 2li is shown with only one tooth, in which case a release of stop arm Ill would permit the shaft y22 to make one complete revolution recording l0 unit values upon the register.

In each of these variations the ratios of ge-ars 23 and 24 would be so modied that the permissive movement imparted to the shaft 2t would effect a movement through the of gears 23y and 2li in the differential companion wheel E5, of an amount equal to that imparted to its opposite number, differential Wheel ill, as a result oi a single movement of the operating pawl fl', but in the opposite direction.

As in totalisator installations and like equipment, it is oiten necessary to provide for the collation of a large number of unit movements or incoming impulses many of which may be received simultaneously or in a relatively short interval of time and as such impulses are usually required to be received and collated rapidly at one collecting station from a number of different distant points, it is usually necessary or advisable to provide a number of impulse-receptive devices and to employ an aggregating mechanism for amalgamating or producing in a common output shaft a summation of the various permissive movements produced as the result of the operations o the various impulse-receptive devices. The form of the aggregating mechanism adopted will depend upon the number of impulse-receptive devices employed and, in Fig. 2 of the accompanying drawings, there is shown diagrammatically and by Way of example one arrangement which may be used to collate or the outputs or permissive movements obtained from four separate impulse-receptive devices. In this arrangement, the output shaft 22 of one impulse-receptive device (which is indicated at A and is similar to that shown in 1Eig. l) is mechanically connected, e. g. by gearing such as that shown at 35 and 3E, with one side, e. g. the beve gear 38, of one aggregating diierential gear mechanism M and the output shaft of another impulse-receptive device, indicated diagrammatically at B, and identical with A, is mechanically connected, e. g. by gearing 3Q and tu, with the other side, e. g, the bevel gear 2, of such aggregating mechanism. Also, the output shafts of two further impulse-receptive devices, indicated diagrammatically at C and D, identical with A, are mechanically connected in a similar manner with the opposite sides or bevel gears 4d and iii of another aggregating differential gear mechanism N. In addition, the output elements or planetary gear mountings of the aggregating mechanism 'ii/i' and N are arranged to form the input elements of a terminal aggregating diierential gear mechanism P. For this purpose, the said planetary mountings may be provided With gear wheels i8 and 13S connected respectively by gears and s! with the opposite sides or bevel gears d'2 and et of the mechanism P. The output element or planetary gear mounting of the latter may also be provided with a gear 55 meshing with a further gear 5S carried by a shaft 53. As already mentioned, in instances in which the various permissive movements derived from the operations of a number ci impulsereceptive devices are to be summated, a permissively operable or restoring means common to all of such impulse-receptive devices may be used and, consequently, if desired, the spring or other means employed for urging the stops of the impulsereceptive-device-diiierentials in the ydesired direction may be associated with the output shaft 53. For example, a spring 2t such as is shown in Fig. l may be associated with the output shaft 58 in which ca'se the spring i5 hereinafter mentioned is eliminated.

The output shaft 5% may be connected directly with the counting or registering mechanism 3S but, in many instances, it is preferable to arrange for the counting or registering mechanism to be operated permissively by an external source of power such as an electric motor-6G, the latter being controlled by switchingV means dispiaceable with the said restoring means as and when unit movements are required to be passed on to or repeated by the counting or registering mechanism. Accordingly, in the preferred form of the invention, the output shaft 53 is mechanically connected with one side, e. g. the bevel gear 52, of a controlling differential gear mechanism R and the other side or bevel gear 6d thereof is mechanically connected with a lrotary member or disc 65 which is, in turn, mechanically connected with the counting or registering mechanism and is adapted to be driven by the motor GS at a speed commensurate with the speed of rotation of the said output shaft. The bevei gears B2 and 6i mesh with a planetary gear Sii and the mounting of the latter is -provided with Y a switch controlling member or arm 6% which normally occupies the position shown in which a rod T extending laterally therefrom engages a projection il on a spring contact strip i2 to hol-d a Contact 'i3 separated from another contact lll, the said arm being yieldingly held in this position by a spring 'i5 which may also serve as the loading spring or restoring means for various stops I3. With the parts held in the position shown, the motor circuit is open and no registering can take place. Immediately, however, one or more of the impulse-receptive devices is actuated, the restoring means will be permitted to operate after one of the stop arms i8 has unlocked its toothed Wheel 2B, the arm 59 will be displaced by the spring l5 so that the contacts i3 and l@ become closed thereby bringing the motor 6@ into operation to drive the disc G5 and the counting or registering mechanism te' until, by the consequent displacement of the bevel gear Sil, the planetary mounting is returned to its former position and the switch is opened again. Also, during the latter part of the return movement of the planetary mounting, the spring i5 will be returned to its stressed condition ready permissiveiy to operate again as soon as another impulse or further impulses is or are received and any one of the stop arms I8 is removed from its toothed wheel 26 of the impulse-receptive devices A, B, C or D.

In order that the speed of operation of the counting or registering mechanism may adjust itself to suit the speed at which impulses are being received and unit movements are being collected by the permissvely movable elements, a variable speed transmission mechanism may be incorporated in the idrive from the electric motor to the counting or registering mechanism. For this purpose, the rotary member or disc 65 may be driven by friction from a disc Si? which has its face engaging the edge of the disc 65 and is mounted on an extension ci the motor shaft so that it is spring-pressed against the edge of the disc 65, and means may be provided for varying the transmission ratio of the friction drive. For example, the electric motor may mounted for angular movement about pivotal supports 8i and S2 disposed beneath and in the plane of the ydisc S5 or nearly so, the face or the disc 3B may be shaped to form part of the surface of a sphere having its centre disposed in the pivotal axis and means may be provided for displacing the motor and the disc `Sil about such pivotal axis. Such angular displacements of the motor are preferably controlled by the extent to which the planetary mounting of the controlling diierential gear mechanism R and the switch arm carried thereby become displaced from their initial position and, for this purpose, the free end of the switch may be coupled by a link @d with a projection 85 provi-ded on the motor casing, the arrangement being such that, as the rate oi impulse-reception increases and the switch arm becomes displaced more and more from its initial position of rest, the motor Sii and the disc 85 will become tilted and the degree of tilting will increase so as to drive the counting or registering mechanism at a progressively increasing speed.

Thus, it will be appreciated that if the incoming impulses are received at a relatively slow rate, the permissively movable elements will be displaced. as and when unit movements of the ratchet wheels of the receiving units occur, the aggregated movements experienced by the common output shaft 53 will not be large or very rapid, the displacement of the planetary mounting of the controlling ydifferential gear mechanism R and of the switch arm @il will be small and the operation oi the electric motor iil in driving the counting mechanism will be of short duration or the counting mechanism will be driven at a relatively slow speed. As, however, the rate of impulse-reception increases, the eX- tent and rapidity of movement of the permissively movable elements or certain of them must increase and, as soon as the rate of impulsereception increases to such an extent that the restoring means or spring can no longer step foward the companion elements of the differentials as and when the ratchet wheels of the impulse-receiving devices are operated, movement units will accumulate in the aggregating mechanism and the planetary mounting of the controlling diiierential gear mechanism R will become further displaced from its initial position with the result that the transmission ratio of the drive between the electric motor and the counting mechanism will be adjusted so that the latter is caused to operate at an increased rate until such time as the accumulated movements decrease and the planetary mounting of the controlling mechanism R again approaches its normal position. It will also be appreciated that by reason of the nature of the mechanism used for causing the counting mechanism to repeat the permissive movements experienced by the other elements of the impulse-receiving and aggregating mechanisms, sudden changes in the rate of counting will be avoided and the mechanism will be gradually slowed down and brought gently to rest as the rate of impulse-reception decreases and impulses cease to be received.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what l claim is:

l. In combination, a plurality of impulsereceiving devices, a member associated with each device arranged to be displaced from an initial position upon reception of impulses by its associated device, a common registering means, power operated means for actuating said registering means to register the total number of impulses received by said devices and for simultaneously returning any displaced member to its initial position, and means operable when any member is displaced from its initial position to cause said power operated means to actuate said registering means, and when all of said memare returned to their initial positions to interrupt such actuation of said registering means.

2. In combination, a plurality of impulsereceiving devices, each including a planetary gear mechanism having two driving elements and an intermediate driven element, electromagnetic means for imparting step-by-step displacements to one driving element, thereby to effect displacement of the driven element from an initial position, means common to all the planetary gear mechanisms acting upon the other driving element of each of said gear mechanisms for restoring any displaced driven element to its initial position, a common registering means, power operated means for actuating said registering means to register the total number of impulses received by said devices and for simultaneously returning any displaced member to its initial position, and means operable when any member is displaced from its initial position to cause said power operated means to actuate said registering means, and when all of said members are returned to their initial positions to interrupt such actuation of said registering means.

3. In combination, a plurality of impulsereceiving devices, each including a planetary gear mechanism having two driving elements and an intermediate driven element, electromagnetic means lor imparting step-by-step displacements to one driving element, thereby to effect displacement oi the driven element from an initial position, means common to all the planetary gear mechanisms acting upon the other driving element of each of said gear mechanisms for restoring any displaced driven element to its initial position, a common Iregistering means, power operated means for actuating said registering means to register the total number of impulses received by said devices and for simultaneously returning any displaced member to its initial position, and spring means operable when any member is displaced from its initial position to cause said power operated means to actuate said registering means, and when all of said members are returned to their initial positions to interrupt such actuation of said registering means and. also load said spring means.

4. In combination, a plurality of impulsereceiving devices, a member associated with each device arranged to be displaced from an initial position upon reception of impulses by its associated device, a common registering means, power operated means for actuating said registering means to register the total number of impulses received by said devices and for simultaneously returning any displaced member to its initial position, and means operable when any member is displaced from its initial position to cause said power operated means to actuate said registering means, and when all of said members are returned to their initial positions to interrupt such actuation of said registering means, said impulse-receiving devices being grouped in pairs in association with aggregating differential gear mechanism having outputs proportional to the combined displacements of the impulsereceiving devices.

5. In combination, a plurality of impulse-receiving devices, a member associated with each device arranged to be displaced from an initial position upon reception of impulses by its associated device, a common registering means, power operated means for actuating said registering means to register the total number of impulses 9 received by said devices and for simultaneously returning any displaced member to its initial position, switching means operable when any member is displaced from its initial position to cause said power operated means to actuate said registering means, and when all of said members are returned to their initial positions to interrupt such actuation of said registering means.

6. In combination, a plurality of impulse-receiving devices, `a member associated with each device arranged t be displaced from an initial position upon reception of impulses by its associated device, a common registering means, power operated means for actuating said registering means to register the total number of impulses received by said devices and for simultaneously returning any displaced member to its initial position, switching means operable when any member is displaced from its initial position to cause said power operated means to actuate said registering means, `and when all of said members are returned to their initial positions to interrupt such actuation of said registering means, and means for varying the speed of operation of the registering means in accordance with the rate of reception of impulses by th'e impulse receiving devices.

7. In combination, a plurality of impulse-receiving devices, a member associated with each device arranged to be displaced from an initial position upon reception of impulses by its associated device, a common registering means, power operated means for actuating said registering means to register the total number of impulses received by said devices and for simultaneously returning any displaced member to its initial p0- sition, switching means operable when any member is displaced from its initial position to cause said power operated means to actuate said registering means, and when all of said members are returned to their initial positions to interrupt such actuation of said registering means, means including a variable speed drive between the power operated means and registering means for varying the speed of operation of the registering means in accordance with the rate of reception of impulses by the impulse receiving devices.

8. In combination, a plurality of impulse-receiving devices, a member associated with each ber is displaced from its initial position to cause said power operated means to actuate said registering means, and when all of said members are returned to their initial positions to interrupt such actuation of said registering means, means including a variable speed drive between the power operated means and registering means for varying the speed of operation of the registering means in accordance with the rate of reception ci' impulses by the impulse receiving devices, said variable speed drive comprising a pair of frictionally engaging discs arranged so that the edge of one is pressed against the face of the othery and means for varying the relative positions of the discs,

9. In combination, a plurality of impulse-receiving devices, a member associated with each device arranged to be displaced from an initial position upon reception of impulses by its associated device, a common registering means, power operated means for actuating said registering means to register the total number of impulses received by said devices and for vsimultaneously returning any displaced member to its initial position, switching means operable when any member is displaced from its initial position to cause said power operated means to actuate said registering means, and when all of said members are returned to their initial positions to interrupt such actuation of said registering means, means including a variable speed drive between the power operated means and registering means for varying the speed of operation of the registering means in accordance with the rate of reception of impulses by the impulse receiving devices, said variable speed drive comprising a pair of frictionally engaging discs arranged so that the edge of one is pressed against the face of the other, and means for varying the relative positions of the discs, the last named means being under the control of th'e switching means.

CHRISTOPHER FREDERICK WEBB.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the lle of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,781,349 Tauschek Nov. 11, 1930 2,046,977 Sortore et al July 7, 1936 2,106,042 Stark Jan. 18, 1938 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 412,426 Great Britain June 28, 1934 

